The 22nd of November 2019 is the official release date of ‘First Mate’, the self titled, 6th studio album by Shrewsbury based singer-songwriter, First Mate.

A beautifully picked electric guitar shines on the tracks with First Mate’s vocals offering texture and warmth. The stripped-back instrumentation lets the songwriting shine, and we particularly enjoyed the songs, ‘Bad Hand’, ‘No More Time To Spend’ and ‘The Diary Remembers The Day’.

There is no doubt that First Mate is an excellent songwriter. His lyrics are accessible and entertaining throughout, covering topics such as murder ballads, memory loss and austerity. He gives the listener a glimpse into his mind on this release, and we were enthralled form the beginning to the end. 

First Mate says, “The predominant musical influence in creating the songs on ‘First Mate’ was a country and western compilation cassette, left behind in the tape player by the previous owner of a ’99 Skoda Felicia I bought last year. It featured the likes of Martyn Robbins, Jim Reeves, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson and inspired me to take a stripped-back and heartfelt approach to the songwriting and production on this album. This no-frills methodology proved to be the perfect way to channel what had been on my mind.”

First Mate (aka Vin Whyte), recorded, mixed and produced this magnificent release. It was recorded over four days in a disused office unit. The honesty and integrity in the music shine through, and we can not recommend this superb musician highly enough.

A UK tour is currently being organised for 2020 but in the meantime check out First Mate at one of the current dates for this year below:

Friday 22th November – The Loft at The Old Post office, Shrewsbury.

Friday 13th December – The Wakes, Oakengates, Telford, with support from Fergus Reid.

FVMusicBlog November 2019